Here's a wildlife image you won't see very often - a picture of a perfectly healthy Mole out and about in the middle of the day. Sent in by our guests Lesley and Robert Wright, it's difficult to say who was more surprised!
A couple of great sightings on our guided walk today included a pair of Common Terns on the River Spey catching a fish and a Grey Wagtail feeding a youngster on the river bank.
The sighting of the day, however, has to be a pair of Golden Eagles spotted at the northern end of our current favourite wildlife watching hotspot, Lochindorb.

A great few days of guest sightings and guided walks to tell you about. Ospreys are well and truly back - and not just at Loch Garten. Guests have seen the fish hawk doing what it does best at the famous Rothiemurchus Fish Farm on the last two afternoons! Meanwhile, new contender Odin - believed to be a Scandanavian Osprey, is the talk of the town as he busily mates with usual Loch Garten female EJ. There's bound to be trouble if last year's male, Orange VS, turns up late and tries to gatecrash the party...

The male Capercaillie was the highlight of our guided walk on Monday, with other species being seen including Red Squirrel, Treecreeper, Grey Wagtail and Goldeneye.

There was a beautiful dawn backdrop to the Black Grouse Watch with Glenlivet Wildlife today rewarding the Hotel's early risers, with a total of four male Black Grouse seen leking, supported by a cast of Mountain Hare still in winter coat and several Roe Deer on the moorland.

And just in case you were asking, Golden Eagles are still out and about too!

Amidst all the snow and ice our winter wildlife watching week has got off to the best possible start - despite it only being Day Two, guests have already seen an amazing array of the best of Cairngorms wildlife with just a few of the highlights being...

5 displaying Golden Eagles at Findhorn Valley...sea ducks and waterfowl galore on the Moray Firth and the River Spey from Eider, Wigeon and Long-tailed Duck to Mergansers, Goosanders and Slavonian Grebes...and of course Red Squirrels and Red Deer everywhere.

Excitement is building for our high altitude walk at Cairn Gorm on Tuesday and fingers are crossed for Pine Marten appearances at the evening hide later on this week!